


Winter Wonderland

by CoyoteGhost



Series: Devotion [5]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fareeha and Jesse are basically siblings, Fluff, Gabriel is a nerd, Jack is supportive, Jesse finally gets to play in some snow, Jesse wants a family, Just a little bit of Angst, M/M, Motherly Ana, but not a lot, complete and utter fluff, mainly just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 19:50:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16435745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoyoteGhost/pseuds/CoyoteGhost
Summary: Jesse finally gets to play in the snow for the first time ever. Fareeha joins, Jesse gets his nails painted, and Gabriel starts to think about the meaning of the word 'family'.





	Winter Wonderland

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, I'm such a dumbass for forgetting to actually put this piece into my series. You know, the thing this entire work is based off of? BUT WHO NEEDS THAT ANYWAYS???
> 
> But yeah! After posting 'Hostage' (which is not part of Devotion), I decided I tortured my boys enough and that we needed some damn fluff in our lives! Thus, this has been born. Also, I'm in dire need of some domestic moments between my boys! I hope you enjoy it as well!

When Gabriel said he'd take Jesse out to play in the snow, he hadn't thought that wrangling the other into winter gear would be so fucking _difficult_. Yet here he was, trying to shove McCree into a coat and slip his gloves on at the same time, the kid wiggled around on the bed like a deer hit with a taser.

"It's fucking _hot_ , Gabe," he whined. Jesse yanked the zipper down on his coat, revealing one of Gabriel's thicker shirts that he had borrowed. With a weary sigh, Reyes zipped him back up.

"Stop bitching. You'll be thanking me here in about ten minutes, trust me."

Again, McCree pulled down the coat zipper and took a deep breath; his cheeks were flushed from the heavy clothes and the warmth that they trapped inside of them (Gabriel had told him at _least_ three times that he would just make himself hotter if he kept wiggling around so much), and sweat had started to make hair stick to the back of his neck. Reyes stood with a sigh.

"Stay right there, don't stand up, and don't touch your coat. Got it?"

Gabriel didn't even wait for an answer. Instead, he made his way into the bathroom and started to dig around in one of the drawers underneath the sink. He sighed in relief when he pulled out one of Ana's or Fareeha's hair ties. Hell, it could've easily been one of his other agents' as well; they just kinda popped up, like bobby pins or dust bunnies (and ironically, they were never where you remembered seeing them last). Also, anything that anyone had in Blackwatch, unless otherwise specified, was basically communal at this point, and hair ties were no different.

When Gabriel returned back to the bedroom, he would've been lying if he said that he hadn't expected Jesse to find some way around what he had told him. McCree had his gloves ripped off and was fanning himself with a stray book from the nightstand. Gabriel could already hear the 'But I didn't touch my coat', and if Jesse hadn't been burning up, the cheeky little bastard might've said as much.

"Hold still," Gabriel commanded. He pulled Jesse's head closer, flat against his stomach, gathering the hair in his hands and pulling it back. Truthfully, Reyes had always been a little envious of Jesse's hair (who wasn't?), of how soft and sleek it was. Beautiful as it may be, though, it had a few nasty trade offs to balance everything out. One of the vices was that, due to the length, McCree frequently had tangled, matted knots, which would retain plenty of dirt and grime. Jesse's grooming rituals were a little harder, a little more time consuming, but apparently Ana has helped him tremendously (McCree's hair had always been important to him, for whatever reason, so he had been ecstatic to receive help). She had even told Gabriel that keeping his hair back would help keep it cleaner.

For a moment, Reyes thought of braiding it, like how he often did, instead choosing to put it into a loose ponytail. Jokingly, he added, "Remind me to cut your hair later."

"You ain't cutting my hair, that's straight up blasphemy!" McCree said, voice muffled by Gabriel's shirt. That didn't stop him from talking, though. Nothing ever did. "I ain't cut it once since I was here and I ain't gonna cut it for as long I can!"

"Ah, yes," Gabriel said. He pushed the other's head back and gave him a chaste kiss, then moved to start forcing the gloves back on. "Jesse McCree is nothing without his, what does Angela say? His luscious locks? Cutting it would make you look like a stranger at this point."

"Damn straight."

They both knew that the only thing anyone had ever done to McCree's hair was trim it, consistently grooming it to remain the same length and style. It was still unchanged from when Gabriel had dragged him into Blackwatch (again, it was something Jesse found pride in), except just a bit cleaner and less ratty. Sorta. With how much Jesse was sweating and rolling around in his winter clothing like a melodramatic child, his hair might've been in better shape the first time.

Gabriel supposed that it was only natural that McCree would act this way (even if he did happen to be nineteen years old). As he had told Reyes, it seemed so stupid and weird to wear clothes like this, and his logic made sense; according to the general logistics they had gathered, Deadlock had apparently always worn breezy clothing, even in winter. No armor, no coats, no thicker socks and gloves, just no winter clothes at all.

That being said, even the heaviest things Jesse had ever worn in Blackwatch (and probably his entire life) were just his chest armor and a light jacket for when the air was just a bit nippy. The kid had probably never experienced temperatures below 35.

From what Gabriel could recall, winter months in New Mexico could be cold as shit, but McCree always said that the coldest thing he'd ever felt was when Angela kicked the AC control panel in her ward and accidentally broke it (according to Jesse, he and Angela had been able to see their breath, and if it weren't for the good doctor confirming that, Gabriel would've said that McCree had been overly dramatic). There was, of course, the chance that Jesse _had_ experienced something worse. Still, nothing had ever been said concerning that, and maybe it never would be. As Jesse might say, complaining couldn't fix the cold, now could it?

Oddly enough, the temperatures in Western and Central Europe had experienced a tremendous temperature drop during fall and winter for the past two years, even lingering towards the end of spring (Gabriel supposed this is what happens when man fucks with Mother Nature). Thankfully, the vast majority of the places in the world were generally unaffected, and these occurrences only happened every so often, but it was always a surprise to see what weather you might get on a mission.

Still, Jesse didn't know a world outside of his arid desert home. The gloves that Reyes had begun to slip onto his hands were foreign to him, as were the lined coat, the thick shirt, the insulated boots. He'd never had to wear anything to keep his body heat in (quite the opposite, in fact), so when Jesse behaved a bit wildly due to his clothing, Gabriel tried to be understanding. Every time McCree would unzip his jacket or try to wiggle out of his gloves, Reyes had to remind himself of the other's unfamiliarity with this sort of thing. Jesse had never even seen a regular scarf before, the only thing close to it being the serape, and he had been curiously tugging at it (Reyes allowed it, of course, even if McCree had accidentally choked him a few times) before Gabriel had started to get him dressed.

"Almost done," he told Jesse, gently pulling him to his feet. Without much thought, Gabriel took the scarf that had been around his neck and wrapped it loosely around McCree, then stood back to admire his work.

The kid shifted uncomfortably, his hunched shoulders reminiscent of how he stood when Doctor Ziegler asked him to strip down for some of his medical treatments. McCree was even more uncomfortable with the gauzy bandage placed securely over his right eye. It was a very small patch, just enough to cover about half an inch from his eye socket at any given point, and it extended enough to just barely reach over his eyebrow. The entire bandage was held in place by neat, perfectly torn strips of medical skin tape.

Deadeye had taken its toll on Jesse, that much was for sure. Thankfully the migraine had disappeared on the second day, but the eye irritation had persisted, and both Angela and Gabriel felt better about having McCree wear something over his eye than to have it exposed to the elements. Getting Jesse to allow something to take away half of his vision, however, had been a fucking struggle if there ever was one.

Nobody could fault Jesse for that, though. His eyesight had been what kept him alive for so long in Deadlock (hell, it had saved his and other agents' skin a few times in Blackwatch, too), and to have it suddenly taken away? That was new, and new things were scary.

Still, Jesse was well enough to pester Gabriel about his promise to go explore the snow (or as Jesse called it, 'a really white sandstorm'), and so Reyes felt confident that the kid was getting better.

As he whistled for McCree to follow him out of his quarters and down the halls to the base's courtyard, Reyes couldn't help but feel amused at how Jesse hobbled behind him, acting like he was the fucking Michelin Man. He sent one quick text to Ana before slowing down, walking in step with McCree.

"You know," Gabriel said, grinning as Jesse glared at him, "Given enough time, snow melts. You might want to speed it up just a bit."

Jesse rolled his eyes (eye?) and lightly bumped his shoulder against Reyes's. "You know, I _would_ speed up if I wasn't wearing a damn straight jacket or whatever you've strapped me into."

Gabriel could only snort as they approached the large glass doors to the Swiss base's courtyard. Complete with a small patio in front on the door, it was a nice, large expanse of land set aside specifically for post-mission recreation and relaxation (lord knows everybody needed some of that in their line of work). Thankfully, no one really wanted to play volleyball or run laps in the thick blankets of winter snow, so there would be little to no hazards for Jesse, no nets or balls or equipment to accidentally hurt himself on. A foot and a half of snow was also perfect for very safe, moderate play and exploration. Even if something _did_ happen, it's not like it would be a hassle to go in and help.

"You ready, Jess?" Gabriel asked, one of his gloved hands pushing open the door. He laughed at himself as he said, "Brace yourselves, winter is coming." God, he would have to introduce the kid to that show later.

As soon as the door was fully opened and the cold wind barreled in, Jesse jumped behind Gabriel like someone had thrown a spider on him. Reyes let him stay there. Athena had said that the temperature was around -4 degrees Celsius (or as he and Jack would say, 24 degrees Fahrenheit), but thankfully the wind wasn't too awful. It was just an occasional breeze, if anything at all. Even still, Jesse acted as if it had cut him to the bone.

"All good?" Reyes asked, turning his head back to look at Jesse. "You don't have to go outside if you don't-"

"I want to!"

Although McCree was forceful, Gabriel couldn't tell if he was saying it like that to reassure Reyes or himself (truthfully, Gabe did know who it was directed towards, but he wouldn't say anything about that out loud).

Gabriel smiled and walked out through the door, still holding it open for Jesse to follow him through. Hesitantly, he did. As soon as McCree was completely out of the building and into the courtyard, the door was shut and Gabriel started to sweep off a good chunk of snow from the patio with his foot, revealing grey slabs of stone. It was enough for Jesse to stand on while he took in his surroundings.

Generally speaking, it was a beautiful day outside. The sun was partially breaking through the silvery snow clouds, which meant a little extra warmth could counteract the coldness if one stood in a patch of light. The clouds helped offset snow blindness (which was especially beneficial, considering Jesse could only use one eye at the moment), and small flakes floated down from the heavens, lazily drifting and landing without a sound.

No other person was outside but them, which thankfully meant they could take things at Jesse's pace without his stubborn, competitive nature forcing him to try and 'keep up' with the others.

Gabriel was vaguely aware that this was the perfect opportunity for a good training session. It would be a wonderful lesson focusing on desensitization, letting McCree get acclimated to this new stressor and ultimately be unbothered by it, or at least tolerant of it. In a way, they couldn't avoid calling this training. Still, Reyes wanted to push his pragmatic thinking aside; this was Jesse's day, and he could do whatever he wanted, even if that meant going back inside and drinking something warm until the sun went down.

Regardless, though, a little conditioning was in order.

With slow, relaxed steps, Gabriel gently took Jesse by the wrist and carefully moved him forwards, allowing for the other to step where Gabriel's boots had made indents in the snow. He allowed McCree to wrap his own hand around Reyes's wrist as they walked. If it made the kid feel better, he wouldn't stop it. When Jesse didn't pull away or put on the breaks, Reyes moved a few feet at a time until eventually they were standing where the patio ended and the true courtyard began.

"Feeling alright so far?" Gabriel asked, turning his head back to check. "No problems?"

Jesse nodded, and even gave a bashful grin as a snowflake landed on his nose. "You weren't kidding when you said it'd be fucking cold, were you?"

Suddenly, McCree shut his eye, face contorting, body tensing as he turned away from Gabriel. Without a warning, he sneezed. Twice. Three second later, Jesse was laughing and rubbing at his nose; the cute little bastard had managed to inhale snowflakes. Hell, if this wasn't adorable. Gabriel just really hoped the sneezing wasn't the start of a cold, though.

Jesse ran his gloved finger through his unruly hair, looking around and taking a second to regain his composure. Gabriel had made him blow dry it after his shower, which was something McCree never did (considering it made his hair a bit more wild) but was forced to do before going outside. Once he realized snow had built up on his head, Jesse shook his hair out like a wet dog, sending fresh snowflakes in every direction in an attempt to keep from getting his hair frozen stiff. He couldn't help but feel like McCree had done it to get snow on Reyes himself, too. Looking back now, Gabe regretted having overlooked the fact that Jesse would need something to cover his head.

"Ana and Angela both are going to kill me if you get sick. Hold still," Gabriel said. With an almost reverent motion, he removed his trademark beanie from his head and carefully settled it back down on Jesse. Just like McCree, soft snowflakes began to settle into his exposed hair, standing out against his dark curls, but he didn't particularly feel it. SEP wasn't _always_ a bitch.

For a moment, McCree was stunned. He took a few careful, appreciative pats before looking to Reyes. None of Jesse's emotions were dulled down at all, even with just one eye. The sides of it crinkled with joy as he smiled brightly, his nose scrunching up with laughter and his cheeks tinted red with the knowledge that Gabriel had given him something, a personal item no less.

Reyes would like to say he wasn't as affected by Jesse's positivity anymore, but he would be a fucking liar if he did. Suppressing his smile, his head turned to the left and his arms crossed over his chest, attempting to appear more like a man who had his shit together (and although Gabriel would never admit it, the red flush on his own cheeks wasn't just from the cold).

"Lose that and you're a dead man. Got it, McCree?"

"Got it!" Jesse chirped back, tugging the ends of the beanie over his ears.

"Good, now give me your hand. Palm up."

Without hesitation, McCree plopped his hand in Reyes's like he had been asked to do, and watched as Gabriel pulled off one of his thick black gloves. Reyes reached down, grabbed a small scoop of snow, and held it above McCree bare palm in one fell swoop. Naturally, like a light switch, Jesse went from smiling and laughing to looking rather displeased.

His eye bounced from the snow, then to Gabriel, and then to literally anything else but those two things; he always did that when Angela tried to give him a shot, or when he was being corrected. Still, just like every other time, Gabriel began to bring Jesse back to the situation at hand.

He knew that McCree couldn't be allowed to avoid looking away when stressed. That practically screamed 'death' at Gabriel. It's not like that was an unfounded fear, either; Jesse was notorious for freezing up when assaulted with some new stimuli (he was still quick to the draw, oddly enough. It was more of a mental freeze, his body still reacting while his mind checked out), and while this wasn't a life or death situation, Gabriel still didn't want the kid to freak out and end up hating the snow. So, as gently as he could, he tried to train the other to be more mindful and aware. As if holding a fistful of sand, he allowed the snow to trickle onto Jesse's fingers, calmly and patiently, bit by bit.

"Tell me what this feels like," Reyes commanded, pushing Jesse to narrow down his focus. No answer. Seconds ticked on, slowly, and still nothing was said.

As carefully as he could, Gabriel rubbed his thumb over Jesse's open palm, then down his hand, wiping away the snow and warming the skin. He then re-stretched Jesse's fingers from where they had curled up. Once again, he reached down and picked up more snow, repeating the falling process.

"What does it feel like, Jess?" Gabriel asked again. For a second, McCree mumbled an answer under his breath, then dipped his head lower to hide his mouth and nose in his scarf.

"Speak up."

Jesse gave a loud sigh before saying, "It's cold as shit." Still, he knew that Gabriel wouldn't accept that answer, and started to amend his statement. "But it feels like when Angie gives us ice packs. Just a little... wetter?"

"Good," Reyes praised, rewarding Jesse by rubbing some of the heat back into his hand before shoving his glove back on. No more having to worry about the snow (hopefully). "I feel better about this now."

McCree snorted, playfully bumping into Reyes as he took a few tentative steps forwards. "I'm glad you do," he said, flashing the other a grin before facing forwards.

Gabriel had a good sense of what Jesse was planning on doing when the kid tensed up his muscles, taking a few steps, side to side, as if debating with himself. After a few seconds, he took one large jump off of the patio and into the actual courtyard. The snow reached a little above the middle of his calf, but thankfully it didn't seem to fall into his boots.

Realizing it wasn't going to hurt him, a laugh bubbled out of Jesse lips as he bounced around in the snow; back and forth, he kicked and romped and jumped without inhibitions, smiling nonstop as he did so. He was about to turn towards Gabriel when something whizzed through the air between them, hitting Jesse square between his shoulder blades, making him yelp and stumbled towards.

"Fareeha! Stop that immediately!"

As Jesse came to stand (well, it seemed 'hide' was a better word) behind Gabriel, the two of them were greeted by Ana and little Fareeha, who seemed only partially regretful of her action. Both of the Amaris were bundled up tightly in colorful coats and clothing, standing out more than Gabriel and Jesse's stark black outfits.

"I apologize, Jesse," Ana said, shooting a glare at her child, "Fareeha got a little excited. I hope you'll-"

It wasn't how McCree stepped out from behind Reyes that made Ana cut herself off, but how Jesse looked instead. His gaze seemed to tear straight through her, not even really taking her in, and landed more purposefully on Fareeha. He was observing her. Likewise, the young Amari met his stare, both of them going through the same mental steps: inspecting, processing, and then recognition. Of course. This was the first time the two of them had met since McCree had fought tooth and nail to protect Fareeha in a fight with adult attackers. That had certainly been a ... _dodgy_ situation, to say the least. Still, all's well that ends well, and everyone was better off now for sure.

Fareeha laughed, smiling as she ran forwards to give Jesse a tight hug, as if that simply action alone could express all of her thanks and gratitude. To Reyes's surprise, McCree followed her lead; he smiled in turn, letting himself kneel so she could hug his neck instead of his waist. For whatever reason, Gabriel honestly felt surprised with how Jesse had reacted. He supposed it was partially because he had never seen McCree around kids. Reyes had only seen Jesse around adults, and depending on the person and the day, it was a huge toss up on if the encounter would end with someone being rushed to the infirmary. However, something about the kid's personality began to fit with the new image that Gabriel was forming in his mind.

Jesse had always been wild. To say that he wasn't would've be a lie, and one that no one would ever believe anyways. He had always been rowdy and energetic, always ready to go and enjoy life as one giant party, even in the worst of times. He was always just so untamable. But as time went on and Jesse's mind seem to catch on to the fact that he no longer needed to run, that he could settle down a bit, he slowly started to change. Nothing would ever fully take away his need to keep running, but here, Jesse was perfectly, happily domestic, and seemed to endlessly enjoy all of the normality and comfort it brought to him.

If he ever left Blackwatch, Reyes could imagine McCree building a life for himself, moving to live on a big farm in New Mexico (big enough, perhaps, to subdue his fleeing instinct), adopting children and caring for them wholeheartedly and with every fiber of his being. He could picture how Jesse would take them off the streets or rescue them from lives of abuse, keeping them from straying down the criminal path that he had been forced to walk. McCree would teach them how to read and write, how to work and play, how to ride horses and care for all of the world's creatures, and finally, most importantly, how to love themselves. But for whatever reason, Gabriel couldn't help but feel an ache in his chest when he thought about Jesse's future. Would he leave Reyes behind in search of some new love, a new life?

It was hard to stay stuck in those thoughts for long when Gabriel felt Ana nudge him, both of them turning to see Fareeha push Jesse into the snow and wrestle with him.

"Be easy, you two!" Ana called, laughing as the McCree bounded off a good distance before letting Fareeha jump on him again and take him to the ground.

"I would like to say I'm shocked that the two made friends so fast, but then I'd be lying," Gabriel said. He affectionately rolled his eyes, and Ana jabbed him in the ribs with her slender fingers.

They laughed together as they watched the rambunctious two play. While still having fun and remaining lighthearted, Gabriel could tell that Jesse was acting the same way he might while training with Abbott or Sosa, just to a lesser degree. He was, as always, quick on his feet, rolling with his partner's punches, but letting the younger Amari land more hits than he would normally allow. When she pushed him onto his back, Jesse carefully grabbed her forearms and tucked his knees under her stomach, then pushed and pulled in a swift but restrained motion. The product resulted in Fareeha flipping over his head and landing gently on her back, laughing the entire time.

Again and again, they ran in circles. Jesse seemed to know exactly what to do, letting Fareeha win and lose in such a perfect ratio that the young Amari didn't even question if he was taking it easy on her (something she often did with Gabriel, who overindulge her and let her win almost every time). Whether he got a face full of snow or found himself gently slinging Fareeha around, Jesse was a good sport and played his roles effortlessly.

"McCree is good with children, don't you think?"

When Ana spoke, her voice was soft yet distant, as if she were lost in thought. Something told Gabriel she was imagining the same scenario about Jesse's future as he had.

"He's way better than I ever thought he'd be, honestly. Makes you wonder who he was before he came here."

Ana turned her head towards Gabriel, one sleek eyebrow raised in question. "You mean in that gang he'd been in?"

"Yeah, in Deadlock. Maybe even before, if there ever was a time outside of that." Reyes sighed, turning to face her now as well. "I just can't help but wonder about Jesse's past sometimes. He's never talked about it, not even to Angela to explain some of his scars and pains. The only thing I've ever been told was how the kid's old boss had explained to him what his Deadeye ability was, and after that, he's never spoke of anything since."

Gabriel tried to rein in his frustration, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. He wished he knew more about Jesse's past, if only to help his partner through all of the nightmares and terrors and hysterical panics that had been caused by it. If he knew, then maybe he could find a way to make it all stop.

"We _all_ know that whatever happened to him was beyond fucked up," he continued, "That maybe his life has always been fucked up. He doesn't remember his parents or hardly any of his life before Deadlock. For all we know, he might've been born in the gang, or just left for dead by his parents. If at some point he _did_ exist outside of Deadlock, his life could've been idyllic or absolutely shit before he was orphaned, but I... I don't know. I just feel like-" Gabriel paused, unsure of what he was trying to convey.

"You feel like there's something more to all of this," Ana supplied, and Reyes nodded. "Truthfully, Gabriel, I've always felt that way. There's something about Jesse that just feels... odd, I suppose. I've never been able to tell if it's a good thing or not."

Before they could continue their conversation, Fareeha ran towards them at full speed, dragging Jesse along behind her by his hand.

"Uncle Gabe! Can Jesse come play inside with me? He already said he was fine with it, I'm just getting cold and I want hot chocolate!"

Gabriel laughed as he watched McCree smile, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. He knew that if Fareeha was getting cold, then the kid had been freezing his ass off (without saying anything, the selfless bastard) if the light shivering was anything to go by.

"I'm fine with it, but you've got to ask your mom," he said, pulling Jesse over by his wrist. Yeah, the kid was cold as hell, that much was for sure. "I'll have to steal Jesse to go get him cleaned up, but other than that, he's all yours."

With an approving nod from Ana, the three of them laughed at Fareeha's excitement and left to go back inside, ready to thaw out and enjoy the afternoon.

\----

When Gabriel and Jesse had gotten back to Reyes's quarters, the poor kid was shivering to death. Snow was frozen into his hair, his teeth chattered, and when they pealed his clothing off, his body was pale, but that didn't stop the joy rolling off of him in warm, gentle waves.

"I'm assuming you had fun?" Gabriel said. He poured leftover coffee into a mug and put it in the microwave, then moved back to where Jesse was pulling a large black sweatshirt over his head.

"Honest to goodness, I thought she was gonna run me to death!" McCree laughed as he settled back into Gabriel's chest. Without hesitation, Reyes wrapped his arms around the kid's waist, playfully putting his hands in Jesse's sweatshirt pockets as he did so. "Most fun I've had in a while. Though, the little munchkin made me eat so much snow that I'm pretty damn sure I could qualify as a frosty."

The kid practically purred as Reyes's SEP-generated heat thawed his frozen bones. He had always told Gabriel that he loved the warmth, that it reminded him of being snuggled up next to a furnace. Hell, Jesse had said that even if he got overheated during the night, he would just come out from under the covers a bit and cuddle back up to Gabriel.

In one swift motion, Reyes fell to sit on his bed, taking Jesse with him and pulling him into his lap. Gabriel simply ignored the chirping microwave in place of pressing kisses to McCree's neck.

"You're really good with her, you know. You're good with kids," he said, giving one last chaste kiss as he laid fully back and rolled onto his side, pulling Jesse's back against his chest as he hauled their feet up with them. "Ana said so herself. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've done this whole kid thing before."

For just a moment, Gabriel felt McCree still. It wasn't a recoil, it wasn't a rejection of whatever Reyes had just said, but instead, it felt like Jesse was thinking. He seemed to reach his conclusion slowly. It took a long enough time that Gabriel was momentarily worried, but with great care, McCree rolled over and turned to where his face was just inches from Reyes's. His only visible eye was closed, and he breathed with such a gentle rhythm that it almost seemed he could've been asleep. If it weren't for the fact that Gabriel could feel Jesse's heart against his chest, that he knew this was to offset feelings of panic, then he could've believed it.

"I... used to take care of them. Once." When Jesse spoke, his voice was fragile and weak, as if he were forcing himself to talk after waking from a nightmare. "I used to help the street kids, the ones nobody would take in. There was hardly ever much I could do for them, and even the good ones were all past saving."

As Gabriel pulled Jesse's body closer, settling the other's head under his chin and combing through the long, unruly hair, Reyes slowly began to process the information he had been given. Although he hadn't been told a time for when this happened, or for how long, he could only imagine just what Jesse had seen. How many times had Gabriel and Jack seen newly-orphaned children wandering the streets during and after the Omnic Crisis, slowly succumbing to starvation or illness? Even with advanced medical care, what McCree had said was true; most of those kids were far past saving.

Had Jesse himself been one of these children? It would make sense, even if Gabriel didn't want it to. The Omnic Crisis would've happened when McCree was young, just barely out of the womb, and the only hope that Reyes had left was in the fact that the Deadlock gang had helped Overwatch during those events. They kept the military well supplied, which had certainly aided in ending the Crisis faster than if they didn't have any help at all. Deadlock helped, and so they were rewarded for it with protection (even if Overwatch hadn't helped out the Rebels, Gabriel was certain that with the amount of ammunition they had, they would've been better off than everywhere else). Still, that didn't mean there weren't any casualties, especially once the Crisis was over and Deadlock was made a public enemy. Jesse could've easily been orphaned and left to deal with the other dying children, too.

After a good stretch of time, Jesse had slowly stopped his shaking. His breathing was returning to its normal pace, but he made no effort to get up or detangle himself from Gabriel's arms. He was comfortable now, if the way he started to snuggle closer said anything.

"You don't have to go over if you're not up to it," Reyes said, continuing to comb through Jesse's hair while slotting their legs together. "Ana will understand. You don't have to force yourself."

With slow, reluctant movements, McCree carefully wiggled out of Gabriel's grip and sat himself up. His eyes shimmered as if tears were there, barely contained behind his laughter, and as Reyes himself sat up and stood from the bed, he couldn't help but place a tender kiss on Jesse's forehead. Of course the kid was laughing. It couldn't help his experiences and the way he felt about them, but it could heal the pain of the present.

"I still want to go," he said, following suit and standing from the bed. He yawned as he stretched. "Fareeha, she makes me feel better about all of this. She's not gonna starve to death, and as far as we know, she ain't gonna kick the bucket from illness, either. She's the only one-"

Jesse stopped, giving a huff as he tossed a tired grin towards Reyes, but Gabriel knew what he was attempting to say. Fareeha was the only child that he had managed to save. When he fought off her attackers, risking getting injured, being thrown out of Overwatch, or possibly even killed, he felt as though he had finally accomplished something, had finally done an action that was worthwhile (which, in Ana and Gabriel's opinion, he certainly had). It was with a fierce determination that he had stepped up and ran into the fray, and Reyes couldn't be prouder.

Walking to grab his coffee and then turn towards the door, Gabriel smiled at McCree, who smiled right back at him as they trotted along out into the hall. They didn't speak on the way to Ana's quarters, but they didn't have to. Whatever moment of understanding they had shared, whatever it was that made Jesse talk even briefly of his past, was enough to speak levels of his trust and affection with Gabriel. Even as they knocked on Ana's door and were ushered in by Fareeha, they could feel the calming afterglow of that connection.

"Welcome back, you two," Ana said, watching as Fareeha dragged Jesse into the main room, sitting him in front of the TV as she pulled out a variety of items from a plastic chest. She yawned as she started to pull out many glass vials of nail polish.

She was obviously excited to finally have a playmate. Being the youngest person on the base at almost any given time was certainly hard on the youngest Amari, but Gabriel knew that there was nothing Ana could do to help that. She couldn't send Fareeha to her father in Canada (that custody case was a shit storm, even if Ana and the father were very amiable and got along. Reyes blamed the court system), and Fareeha had no other relatives left.

Much like how the Amaris only had each other, Jesse only had Gabriel. Of course the situation was extremely different (McCree was an orphan with no known extended family, so the only place he could possibly return to was Deadlock, which was a huge jump away from a Canadian father). Still, just like Ana and Fareeha, they didn't care if they only had each other. They were happy, and that was all that mattered.

"Come, sit down," Ana said, moving them to sit at the kitchen table. Her quarters were graciously larger (by Jack's design) since she had a child, so the kitchen, den, and two bedrooms were all somewhat separated. Through the open doorway, they could keep a good eye on Jesse and Fareeha while they talked in the other room. Unless either party spoke very loud, neither of them could hear their respective conversations, but it's not like either would really need to, anyways.

"I'm going to assume that Fareeha talked your ear off?" Gabriel said. He gave a small 'thank you' as Ana poured him more coffee. "Jesse was more than willing to come back to play."

"She was very excited, yes." Ana smiled, settling down beside Gabriel with her tablet and some papers in hand. Right. She could really only do a lot of her more confidential work when Fareeha wasn't around. "But if I may ask, what took you two so long? I don't really want to pry, so you can tell me as much or as little as you'd like, I was just worried. I had enough time to give Fareeha a bath and a snack, so I got concerned."

Gabriel could _try_ to tell Ana only a fraction of what had happened, but he knew he couldn't do that. She would find out the entire truth eventually. Besides, having her advice on the subject made Reyes feel a thousand times better, because unlike him, she knew how to deal with emotional issues. Also, she had started to love Jesse as if he were her own son (Gabriel had started joking with her about how he'd steal some adoption papers from Jack if she wanted them). One of the largest declarations of her love was allowing McCree to play with Fareeha, and had showed her trust by not hovering around them in the den. Ana knew his past, knew all of the charges that had been placed on him, but she loved him anyways. She also knew that if Jesse hadn't been taken in by Gabriel, that if he didn't listen or went AWOL, then her love could do very little to keep him alive.

Even Jack had been disconsolate when they discovered that McCree certainly qualified for, and would most likely suffer, the death penalty for murder, treason (for assisting and selling to Talon, whom Jesse hadn't know was a federal enemy), and large-scale weapons and drug trafficking. He was so young, still barely a man, but it was frightening just how easily his fire could be snuffed out.

"He, uh, talked about Deadlock, or maybe it was just some part of his past. He told me he used to take care of the kids on the street." Sensing his hesitation and pain, Ana lightly placed her hand in Gabriel's.

"Jesse took care of them, but... I’m assuming he couldn't save them, could he?" she said more than asked. They both knew that answer. "How could life be so cruel to children so young? His past is-"

"Uncle Gabe! What color do you think would match Jesse's eyes?"

Both Ana and himself jumped as Fareeha called out from the living room, her excited tone attempting to cover up her sleepiness. Gabriel could hear Jesse laughing right beside her. Right here and now, it was hard to dwell on the past when looking at the present; McCree's former life had no hold here. The weight it carried was slowly taken away by a loving home with loving people, and especially by the little girl trying to paint his nails.

"I would try neon pink," Gabriel called back, laughing upon hearing Jesse groan. "Just kidding. Why don't you try... gold, maybe?"

For a moment, Fareeha considered Reyes's advice, and then swiftly began to dig through her pile of polish. When she brought her hand back up, gold glittered in the TV light. Gabriel hoped that he could find some nail polish remover in the upcoming days.

"Feel free to find a movie to watch, Jesse!" Ana called. Her smile had returned, sculpting her face into some tender form of motherly art. As she stood to grab more paperwork, Gabriel could feel his phone vibrating softly in his sweatshirt pocket, making a small ruckus as his stomach pressed against the table, but he was reluctant to answer it.

"Aren't you going to see who that is?"

"Don't want to," Reyes answered, closing his eyes and stretching his arms out along the table. His joints were feeling stiff from the cold weather. "I'm off duty today, anyone who needs something can go bother Jack."

Ana rolled her eyes and thumped his head with a thick Manila folder as she settled back down. "I'm curious to see who would be texting you so late in the afternoon. It could be an emergency. Like you said, you're off duty and everyone knows it, so they would only bother you if this was a crisis situation or a personal problem."

She was right, of course. Reyes had made a point in making sure he had explicitly put his 'day off' on everything that he possibly could, especially his office hours and meeting schedule. He just didn't want to deal with it today, not since he had planned to take McCree outside (Gabriel would be lying if he said that he hadn't been worried about something going wrong, even if it was just a little romping around in the snow). Even if he hadn't taken Jesse out, Reyes was still perpetually tired. He _needed_ a day off. At least, that’s Angela had told him. It’s not like he couldn't afford it; Gabriel had so many vacation days built up that he was sure he run away for an entire year. Still, he couldn't outrun his problems at work, and with great reluctance, he took the phone out of his pocket to check his messages.

A text from Morrison. Gabriel frowned.

"Who's it from?" Ana asked, not looking up from her paperwork. "What does it say?"

"It's from Jack. He-" Reyes paused. He squinted at his screen, double-checking that he hadn't read the message wrong. "Look at this for me. I think I'm finally becoming senile."

The mention of Jack texting Gabriel alone was enough to make Ana drop her work and take the phone from Reyes. Just like he had, her face contorted, as if trying to understand just what exactly was going on.

 

**From: Morrison, Jack**

**I need your permission to access all of McCree's records, and I mean all of them, Gabe.**

 

"I'm not sure why he would need those," Ana said, passing the phone back to Reyes. One of her neatly groomed eyebrows were raised in question. "Has he asked for them before?"

Gabriel shook his head.

"Give me a minute," he said, and stood from his chair, making his way out of the door and into the hall. Carefully, as if disabling an unpredictable bomb, he dialed Jack's number and listened to it ring. It went on for exactly three seconds before his call was answered.

"Morrison speaking," he heard from the other in.

Gabriel wasted no time. "What do you need Jesse's records for?" he asked, his voice hushed despite being the only one in the hallways. He supposed one could never be too cautious.

"You can go to Ziegler for his medical records, but his Blackwatch information is sensitive. You know that," Reyes continued. "If the UN decided to pull some of their random searching shit and they found his files, they would have an aneurysm. This is dangerous, Jack. We may be reprimanded for it, but if they throw Jesse into supermax, he's more than likely going to die."

For a long time, there was nothing but silence from the other end of the line; if it weren't for the occasional sharp breath, Gabriel worried that Jack had hung up on him. Still, after a minute or so of collecting his thoughts, Morrison began to speak.

"I... want to help the kid out."

Well, that was unexpected.

If you were to ask Gabriel what he thought this conversation would consist of, Jack wanting to help McCree would be on the very, very bottom of the list. The two were on better terms now, sure, but they never interacted without being forced to. What brought this up?

"I want to find out where he came from, what his life was before Deadlock, before he forgot his past," Jack continued. "I want to see if I can find his parents or any surviving members of his family. I know that even if I find everything I'm looking for, McCree may never be ready to see it. He may not even _want_ to see it, but I still want to give him a chance. He and I may not always get along, but... I think he deserves that much."

Yeah, this was so far down on that expectation list that it might as well not have existed at all. That being said, it was far from unpleasant. Gabriel had always just assumed that there wasn't anything they could even learn about Jesse, at least not anything with a paper trail; when they had searched up a shit ton of public records, they could never really find anything definitive. The records were either damaged or just too fucking vague (Santa Fe already had shitty court system back in the day, but the Omnic Crisis absolutely destroyed it). The only real documents they could find were arrest warrants. At the time, that was the only thing that had truly mattered. Perhaps Jack was right, perhaps they needed to start digging deeper into Jesse's past, to give him a chance at knowing who he was and where he had come from; even if he said no, the information would always be at his fingertips.

"I'll tell you what," Gabriel said. "I'll let you use my computer and data base for whatever you want to do. You'll have to work in my office, but my systems are more encrypted and it'll be safer for all of us. Deal?"

"Deal." Jack didn't even hesitate.

"Good. We can talk more about this later if you want, but I have to get back to Ana. She introduced Fareeha to Jesse and they've been running around all day."

"Yeah, that'll be good. Just send me a text in the next week or so. Go get back to your day off, and make sure you have some fun for me. I'm stuck doing this shitty paperwork." Gabriel could hear the smile in the other's voice, even if he couldn't see it. It made Reyes himself feel warmer.

"Will do. Oh, uh, Jack?"

"Yeah?"

Gabriel paused, shuffling his feet. He never was good at his emotions, but he at least had to try.

"Thank you for... for doing this. It means a lot."

Jack let out the affectionate huff he always did, a brief breath of joyful laughter, before telling Gabriel it was his pleasure and hanging up the phone.

When Reyes walking back into Ana's quarters, he noticed that the kitchen table was void of human presence, leaving only paperwork in its place. Ana was leaning against the doorway to the living room. She seemed tearful, and from the way she was smiling, Gabriel could tell that it was from happiness, and happiness alone. The epitome of a mother.

"Come here," she commanded. "Come look. Be quiet."

Reyes did as he was told and joined her in the doorway. Despite the darkness of the room whose only source of light was the TV, Gabriel could certainly see what had made Ana so happy; laying comfortably on the couch was Jesse and Fareeha, sleeping away their afternoon with soft, gentle breathing.

Jesse was flopped unceremoniously onto his back (he always did that in Gabriel's bed, too), one arm hanging off the end of the seat while the other was bent straight up into the air, supported only by the back of the couch. With how McCree's long hair covered his eyes when not pushed to the side, Gabriel could almost convince himself that one of the kid's eyes wasn't painfully irritated and subsequently patched up. He was a bundle of lanky limbs and soft breaths, his innocence shining through like the young, harmless boy he could've been.

Fareeha, on the other hand, was a whole different story. She was stretched across Jesse's stomach, sprawled out and draping herself on top of the other, making herself comfortable. Her head was turned towards the TV, one hand resting under her face while the other was extended in front of her. Her right hand was one little twitch away from slapping Jesse straight in the good eye.

"That's..." Gabriel paused, his own smile coming through as he and Ana _both_ pulled out their phones, simultaneously taking pictures of the crime scene.

"It's damn cute is what it is," she said. She took the last round of pictures before putting her phone away, then approaching the couch. "Sadly, McCree is an agent who must work, and I'm sure he won't appreciate waking up in a pile of my daughter's drool."

With a very gentle movement, an attempt to not wake both of them, Ana scooped up Fareeha and carefully walked her way to the bedrooms. As she made to enter the door, she said, "If he wants to stay and sleep on the couch, I don't mind. I trust him. Goodnight, Gabriel." And like that, she was gone.

She... trusted McCree. She really must've if she was allowing him to play with her daughter and then crash on her couch, unsupervised, all night long. For a moment, Gabriel considered it and almost let Jesse stay where he was, but he couldn't keep him here. Even if he'd had a good day, Reyes worried about his nightmare and night terrors (specifically the latter. Gabriel was terrified that Jesse's spells would scare Fareeha to death and leave the poor boy absolutely mortified), both of which could potentially be made worse by being in an unfamiliar environment. With a twinge of guilt, Reyes squatted down by McCree's head, giving his shoulder a gentle shake.

"C'mon, Jess," Gabriel said, watching as the other scrunched his face up and groaned, slowly opening his eye. "It's time for bed, okay? Let's get you back to your own place."

Jesse grumbled some unintelligible phrase and slowly pushed himself off the couch with Gabriel's help.

"I can't understand you, Jesse, you're mumbling." As Jesse stumbled around, Reyes couldn't help but smile as he threw Jesse's arm over his shoulder and put an arm around the other man's waist, walking him like a incapacitated drunk (and truthfully, everyone could agree that McCree was more dexterous when drunk than when he was tired) out of Ana's room and into the hall. Gabriel was thankful that his own quarters were just a few hallways away.

"I _said_ ," McCree muttered, louder this time but hardly any clearer, "That I don't wanna go to my room. Why do I gotta go there?"

"Does it look like I'm taking you to your room? I just had to say that while we were in earshot," Gabriel said as they approached his room.

Wrapping an arm tighter around McCree's waist, Gabriel typed in his key code with one hand, nudging the door open with his foot. When they entered, he promptly marched over to the bed and threw Jesse on top. Gabriel could hear McCree groan and slur gibberish as he carefully shimmied the kid's clothes off of his body. Jesse only shut up when Reyes shoved him under the covers and chucked another pillow at him. The kid was a thief as far as pillows went; he would steal every single one of them to nest up with, then use Gabriel himself for his head.

As soon as Jesse settled down, his breathing started to settle back into a calm, gentle rhythm. He wasn't asleep, but he was surely getting there.

"Can you take this off?"

McCree started to scratch at his bandage, rubbing at it lazily in an attempt to remove the adhesive tape from his skin. His hand progressively started to slow down, then almost stopped altogether. Gabriel sighed, but looked down fondly. What a dork. With a gentle hand, Reyes sat down on the bed and pulled Jesse's head into his lap. The kid's hair fanned out across Reyes's thighs, and with a warm smile gracing Jesse's tired face, he allowed Gabriel to run his fingers over the gauze. Gabriel knew that he really shouldn't take it off, but he also knew how badly Jesse hated it.

"Hold still, Jess," he said, and started to carefully peel the small strips of tape from the other's face. He was thankful that Angela had the forethought to make sure the gauze kept the adhesives off Jesse's eyebrow.

For a moment, after the bandage was removed, McCree kept his eye shut; it was no doubt still irritated and painful. Despite that, it slowly opened. One look was enough to make Gabriel wince. Jesse kept his eyelid about halfway closed (they knew he could open it completely, but he seemed to keep it like that out of comfort), and the inflammation looked horribly painful. It was, however, getting better.

Without a word, Jesse closed both of his eyes and carefully pushed himself off of Reyes's lap. An odd and somewhat concerning move, considering Jesse took nearly every opportunity to be physically affectionate.

"Are you feeling okay?" Gabriel asked. McCree nodded as his body sank further into the mattress.

"Yeah. Just thinking, is all. You gonna get ready for bed?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. With McCree tucked safely under the sheets, Reyes himself began to get ready for bed, being way more efficient than Jesse (not that he had expected efficiency from the other begin with, seeing as McCree had been completely prepared to sleep on Ana's couch in jeans and his boots). Gabriel plugged up his comm and his personal phone, put everything on 'Do Not Disturb', locked his door back, and finally began to strip as he hopped onto his side of the bed. The blankets felt warm and comforting, soothing his aching body after a long day in the cold. Jesse helped warm him, too. He curled around Gabriel's body like he always did, leg and arm thrown over Reyes with his head resting on Gabriel’s chest.

It felt... it felt like _home_.

"You want to talk about whatever's going on in your head?" he asked, running his fingers through Jesse's hair. His voice was so soft it was hardly even a whisper. "If you don't, that's fine, but I'm here to listen if you do."

Slowly, time ticked on. One minute became two, and two suddenly became ten, and Gabriel wholly believed that Jesse was asleep. The other's breathing had evened out perfectly, creating a peaceful cycle that never sped up, never slowed down. It was almost soothing, like listening to the push and pull of the waves. It gave Gabriel something to focus on, something to pacify and hush his overactive mind, and after a short amount of time, the rhythm had begun to lull him to sleep. He had almost drifted off completely when he heard Jesse speak up, talking so softly as if afraid to wake Gabriel.

"I thought about what you said. About the whole 'being good with kids' thing," McCree began. "I want them one day, when we're both done with this shit. I think I do, at least. I never thought about it because I wasn't ever supposed to live this long. I just... I want a family. I want a family _with you_."

Family...?

That was a word Gabriel hadn't used in a very, very long time. At least not for himself. War, death, and fear had taken away all of the hope that he'd once felt for making a new life, and even though he had relatives (and plenty of them) outside of Blackwatch, they didn't feel like how a home should. Reyes was never able to be around them, always feeling guilty when he was. They didn't deserve a man who would no longer be able to play his part like he once had. After a while, 'family' became nothing more than a dream, a word found to be without definition.

And then Jesse came.

Jesse, with his loud mouth and quick wit and cocky sense of self, whom Gabriel knew used all of those things to protect a softer underbelly. He was kind and sweet and endlessly loyal, giving away more than he would ever ask for in return. Jesse would never truly admit to any of his inner desires because of that. He would joke about lighter things, like asking for whiskey or food or some ridiculously expensive item for the fun of it, but this? Asking for a family with _Gabriel_ of all people? He almost felt distraught. Having a true family of his own, one with kids and cats and white picket fences, with something and someone to come home to, it was more than he could ever ask for.

It was more than what he deserved.

Besides, he and Jesse had never even put a label on their relationship, let alone discussed plans about the future (how could they talk about the future when they both knew too damn well that they could have their lives stolen away, even by one misplaced step?). The two of them had seemed to subconsciously agree that bringing their little ‘situation’ up would create some sort of irreparable tear, that it would force them to think too deeply about whether or not the pleasure was worth the pain. It was terrifying, and so they kept silent.

Because of those things, Gabriel knew that the only reason Jesse had spoken at all was because he believed Reyes was asleep. Had he done this often, spilling his guts when Reyes was dead to the the world to avoid the repercussions? Gabriel began to feel almost disappointed in himself; did Jesse really feel like he couldn't voice his desires out out loud? But Reyes understood it, and let McCree have his midnight confession. He deserved that much.

Truthfully, Jesse deserved so much more than anything life had given him. The world had thrown all of its nasty tricks at him, but the kid survived, and each time he marched a little farther, a little faster, a little harder. Each time, he found a reason to live and to keep going. Jesse had once told Gabriel, long ago when he had first joined, that it was spite and spite alone that pushed him forwards. What was it now? Was it this dream of some distant fantasy, of growing old (or just surviving long enough to be older) and settling down eventually? Was it Gabriel himself?

That was a vain thought, but Reyes could honestly say that many times, on missions gone wrong, Jesse almost been his sole motivation to come home. After all, what would the kid's fate be if he _didn't_  come home? Ana might try to take care of him, but Gabriel knew Jesse, and Jesse didn't listen to others, even if he loved them. Jack couldn't take him (fuck Overwatch and their need for squeaky clean records), so the only other option would be forced discharge. Discharge meant supermax, and supermax meant death.

Reyes supposed that Jesse might believe he would be fine without his commander, but he wasn't stupid, and he knew what would await him. It would've been easier for the kid if he had distanced himself from everyone. It happened within their line of work, more often than it should. It made more sense for Jesse, though, considering this was once a land of strangers. But no. He chose instead to love everyone, to give them his all, to be their sword and shield, and when it came down to it, Reyes knew he was willing to die.

Now, though, Gabriel felt Jesse was finally willing to live, too. With McCree cuddled up to his chest, finally having fallen asleep with the comfort of his confession and the safety he felt in the arms that held him, how could Reyes not believe that Jesse would give everything he had to stay alive for this? For _him_? How lucky was Gabriel to have suddenly been graced with such a wonderful man?

How lucky were they both to have finally found something to call home?

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed that! Please, if you see any errors or something, point them out. I have no beta and sometimes I miss things. Thank you!


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